Abarth 600e review

Introduction

If subtlety is an alien concept to you, then let us introduce you to the Abarth 600e. It’s loud – although not in the traditional sense.

You see, this is a fully electric SUV so there’s no fiery engine under the bonnet or a snarling exhaust system (à la Abarth 595). Admittedly, the range-topping 600e gets an “external sound generator” that’ll mimic an exhaust note, but that’s your lot.

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What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)

54kWh Turismo SUV 5dr Electric Auto (240 ps)

Expected annual mileage	5000
Term months	60
Deposit months	12
Monthly payment	£429.76
Initial payment	£5,157.12

Step-by-step

Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.

• Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
• Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
• Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end

What you get

When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:

• Full manufacturer’s warranty
• Road tax and roadside assistance included
• No admin fees
• Free returns within 30 days*

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£5,157 initial payment, 60 month contract, 5000 miles p/a. Subject to status and conditions.

• Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
• No balloon payments
• Road tax included

No, we mean loud in the sense that it’s bold and brash in the styling department. The Abarth 600e takes the general design of the Fiat 600e (on which it’s based) and adds a butch bodykit, a spoiler and big wheels. Half of the exterior colour options are super bright too – there’s a vivid green, purple and orange.

The 600e’s closest rival is the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce. The two are mechanically related, so it’s not particularly surprising that they look similarly matched on paper. However, as we’ll go over in this review, there are differences to be aware of. Read on as we put the Abarth 600e to the test...

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What's new?

• March 2025: Abarth 600e debuts in the UK, and includes range-topping Scorpionissima trim with as much as 278bhp

• February 2024: Fully electric Abarth 600e revealed, with a 237bhp output, a traction-enhancing limited-slip differential and Formula E-inspired tyres

Overview

The Abarth 600e does a convincing job of wrapping up engaging sports SUV handling in an electric SUV package. It’s not quite as agile as petrol-powered alternatives though, and buyers might be left wanting when it comes to range, as well as interior space and quality.

Pros

• Communicative steering
• Grippy front end
• Good sporty driving position

Cons

• Underwhelming electric range
• Entry-level version feels a bit basic inside
• Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce is more well rounded

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

Plenty of sports and electric SUVs chase outright performance above all. There’s the 422bhp, four-wheel drive, astonishingly quick Smart #1 Brabus. You also have cars like the Tesla Model Y that are well known for scaring sports cars.

The Abarth 600e we're reviewing here is a bit different. The regular and top-end, Scorpionissima version possess 237bhp and 276bhp respectively, making them quick (0-62mph in 6.2 and 5.9 seconds), just not pin-you-to-your-seat frantic. In a way that’s a good thing because you can enjoy the acceleration for longer and there’s less of a risk you’ll get a speeding ticket.

The 600e is also different in the sense that it’s purely front-wheel drive. You just have one, front-mounted electric motor and a grip-enhancing limited-slip differential (LSD) to work with. That gives the model more of a Ford Puma ST feel in the driving department, rather than one reminiscent of a Model Y.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given it has to haul around a hefty battery, the Abarth 600e never feels as nimble as the petrol-powered Puma ST – and you certainly feel the weight more and more the faster you go.

Still, the 600e still offers a greater sense of fun and driver engagement than nearly all electric SUVs of its size, including the Fiat 600e, as well as the Jeep Avenger Electric, Kia Niro EV and Peugeot e-2008.

The steering is a highlight. It’s precise and inspires a good amount of confidence, feeling really rather communicative next to most modern cars.

The only side effect of having a powerful front-wheel-drive car with so much communication coming through the steering is that torque steer isn’t filtered out all that much. Under hard acceleration the steering wheel will tug left or right, meaning you’ll often find yourself wrestling with it, especially on patchy B-roads.

How does the Abarth 600e compare with the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce? Well, the two feel very similar, which is perhaps a given considering they share parts including the battery, electric motor and LSD. Mind you, the Veloce’s steering feels marginally less affected by torque steer and the ride is a bit more forgiving. Both are firm riding, but the 600e feels that bit tenser.

Overall, we prefer the Veloce, seeing as it has those positives but is just as much fun to drive. The 600e isn’t far behind though.

If you need lots of electric range, the Abarth 600e is likely to disappoint. Both the standard version and the Scorpionissima have a 51kWh (usable capacity) battery and can officially travel around 200 miles before running out of juice. That's a far cry from the best electric SUV ranges.

Meanwhile, the Fiat 600e has an official range of 254, while alternatives such as the Ford Puma Gen-E and Kia EV3 offer 233 and 270 miles respectively – and that's in their entry-level forms. That said, the Junior Veloce's official range isn't exactly stellar either, at 215 miles.

As for refinement, it’s worth mentioning that the Abarth 600e generates less road noise than its Fiat 600e counterpart – you can thank the bespoke tyres for that. Wind noise only starts to become noticeable on motorways: at 70mph, there's some buffeting around the pillars.

“While firm, I never found the Abarth 600e's ride too harsh or uncomfortable to put up with.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

Inside, the Abarth 600e and Fiat 600e are a lot alike, but the Abarth does benefit from a set of sporty front seats and a racing-inspired steering wheel.

The Scorpionissima version goes a few steps further, adding some more Abarth branding on the dashboard, a set of aluminium pedals and a different style of sports seats. The upgraded sports seats hold you in place more tightly than the standard car's (which could do with more side bolstering) while remaining comfy.

In either version, there’s plenty of adjustment in the driving position. Plus, unlike in some electric SUVs, you can put the seat low down for a suitably sporty feel.

The Abarth 600e's 10.3in infotainment touchscreen is positioned high up on the dashboard, meaning it’s easy to read at a glance. It’s pretty easy to use thanks to its good responsiveness and some handy shortcut buttons. However, the menus could be more logically laid out and some of the icons are on the smaller side, so they can be a bit tricky to prod as you’re driving.

As for interior quality, the Abarth 600e feels a step below most electric cars, with very few plush materials and lots of dull and cheap-feeling plastic. The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica does feel more premium.

We understand that you’re mostly paying for performance and sporty handling here, not luxury, but it’s a shame that the much cheaper Renault 4 feels more premium inside – and is more colourful too.

“I really like the Scorpionissima’s seats, because they look great and hold you in tight.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

Space is plentiful up front in the Abarth 600e, with good head and leg room for both driver and passenger, and enough width for each of your personal spaces to stay intact. Rear-seat passengers are less well catered for, with good head room but tight leg room for anyone nudging 6ft. Sitting three abreast is a squeeze.

As for interior storage, there’s a big cubby at the bottom of the dashboard with a wireless phone-charger inside. There are also two cupholders, a cubby under the centre armrest and a phone-sized rubberised tray under the centre air vents.

As with the Fiat 600e, the Abarth 600e has 360 litres of boot space. That's more than in you get in the Mini Aceman (300 litres) but less than is offered by the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica (400 litres) and much less than the space available in the Ford Puma Gen-E (523 litres).

As for seat folding flexibility, the rear seats fold in a 60/40 split. It’s rare to find 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats among rivals, but if you are after that then it could be worth taking a look at the Renault Scenic.

“If you’re considering the Abarth 600e as a practical family car I’d suggest looking elsewhere.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

The Abarth 600e undercuts the list price of the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce but then again that car only comes in Scorpionissima-rivaling form. The Junior’s interior feels a step up in terms of quality plus you get a bigger boot. Overall, the extra expense is justifiable.

In the wider, electric hot hatch and sports SUV market, the Abarth 600e is pretty well priced, being more expensive than the smaller Alpine A290 but cheaper than the Mini Aceman JCW.

We’d understand if you’d want to keep the cost down and stick to the regular Abarth 600e. It gets most of the kit you might want, including climate control, an Alcantara sports steering wheel and a limited-slip differential.

However, we’d suggest paying the reasonable premium the Scorpionissima version demands. Not only are you getting a quicker car, but we think you’ll appreciate the upgraded seats, which are heated, unlike in the regular version.

It gets the Scorpion Design Pack, which really makes the interior stand out from the regular Fiat 600e. There’s also the Scorpion Tech Pack, which adds more safety aids such as blind-spot monitoring and automatic high-beam assist for the headlights. Both packs come as standard on the Scorpionissima and are not available on the regular version.

The 600e had not been safety tested by Euro NCAP at the time of writing but has plenty of standard-fit safety aids, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection.

Every Abarth 600e has a maximum charging speed of up to 100kW, for a 10-80% top-up in around 27 minutes. That’s the same as you get with the Alpine A290 and Ford Puma Gen-E and faster than the max charging speed of the Kia Niro EV (80kW). Faster rivals include the Hyundai Kona Electric (102kW) and Smart #1 (150kW). If you’re plugging into a 7kW home EV charger, expect to wait just over eight hours for a full (0-100%) charge.

The Abarth 600e and Fiat 600e were absent from our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey as was Abarth as a brand. Fiat was featured and placed 25th out of 31 manufacturers ranked, which isn’t especially confidence-inspiring. That's above Alfa Romeo and Seat but below Ford and Renault.

If something were to go wrong, as with every Fiat and Abarth car, the 600e is covered by a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. Hyundai offers a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty, meanwhile Kia offers a seven-year warranty.

“With their sub-£40,000 list prices, both versions are exempt from that pesky luxury car tax.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

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